Doc Rivers says Blake Griffin close to return to Clippers
LOS ANGELES — Tuesday, Blake Griffin told reporters he was very close to returning from the broken hand that has had him sidelined for five weeks.
Doc Rivers agrees.
“Blake’s close. He’s looking good,” Rivers said without much hesitation before his team took on the Oklahoma City Thunder. “Honestly, watching him today (at shootaround), I was like, in my mind I was thinking ‘we could use some of that tonight.’ I don’t get involved in (the injury) part of it, I know there’s a reason he’s not activated. Honestly, today, watching him I said ‘Can he play tonight?’”
He can’t. For one, he hasn’t yet been cleared by doctors for contact.
“Watching him today I thought that had to be the only reason, that they’re worried it’s not healed properly yet,” Rivers said.
The other reason is that once cleared Griffin will have to serve a four-game suspension for the league from the incident where he broke his hand punching a Clipper employee during a dinner in Toronto. That broken hand required surgery. Griffin has since apologized.
Doc Rivers said that both for chemistry reasons and that the Clippers have a tough schedule down the stretch, he would like to get his starting power forward back in the rotation (and his 23.2 points and 8.7 rebounds a night). The Clippers have done well with a small ball, spread pick-and-roll style offense in Griffin’s absence, but while that has worked in the regular season, it will not be as effective in the playoffs when teams could drill down on it defensively. Rivers knows for his team to have a chance at even getting out of the second round, he needs Griffin.
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Blake Griffin medically cleared for basketball, begins four-game suspension Sunday
Blake Griffin is back. Almost.
Griffin — who has been out since Christmas with first a quadriceps injury and then a broken hand that required surgery after punching a team employee — has been cleared for basketball activities, the team announced Sunday. That means he now starts serving a four-game suspension for that punch (he’s being docked five games’ pay).
That means Griffin will return next Sunday when the Clipper host the Washington Wizards. He can play in up to seven games before the playoffs begin, trying to get into a rhythm before the playoffs tip-off.
The Clippers have played well without Griffin, running a more spread pick-and-roll offense with much better ball movement. That ball movement needs to continue with Griffin in the lineup if the Clippers are going to be a threat in the second round or beyond.
Los Angeles is pretty locked into the four seed, which means (barring an unforeseen dramatic change of events) they will face a depleted Grizzlies team in the first round, followed by the juggernaut Golden State Warriors in the second. On paper the Clippers like their chances with the Warriors — when Golden State goes small the athleticism of Griffin and DeAndre Jordan allows L.A. to stay big, but so far this season the Warriors have had little trouble with the Clippers.
And if the Clippers get bounced in the second round again, Doc Rivers and the Clippers staff have some thinking to do about roster construction.
Report: Equipment staffer punched by Blake Griffin no longer works for Clippers
Blake Griffin broke his hand punching Clippers equipment manager Matias Testi in January.
Make that former Clippers equipment manager Matias Testi.
TMZ:
“The L.A. Clippers equipment staffer who was punched in the face by Blake Griffin during a fight in Toronto earlier this year is off the team — and will NOT be back for the ’16/’17 season … TMZ Sports has learned.
We spoke with a rep for the Clippers who confirmed Matias Testi “no longer works for the team.””
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